Recognized for Diversity

Wake Forest wins Excellence in Diversity award from national magazine

Barbee Oakes, assistant provost for diversity and inclusion, talks with students and staff.

For its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Wake Forest has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

The HEED awards honor U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. The magazine announced the 48 recipients of the new HEED awards on its website and will feature the winners in the December 2012 issue.

Award recipients were selected based on their institution’s exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives and the “institution’s level of success with regard to diversity and inclusion among its students, suppliers, faculty and administrative staffs.”

In addition to diversity efforts related to gender, race and ethnicity, schools were evaluated on initiatives related to veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community.

“On behalf of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team, it is an honor to receive this distinction for the work we do to weave diversity and inclusion into the fabric of our institutional culture,” said Barbee Oakes, assistant provost for diversity and inclusion. “ From senior administration to facilities and campus services employees, we believe respecting others, embracing diversity, and valuing difference is essential. We are very pleased INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine acknowledges our commitment across the university.”

Earlier this year, Oakes was named one of “25 Women Making a Difference” by Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

“We hope the HEED award serves as a reminder that diversity and inclusion must remain priorities in the 21st century higher education landscape,” said Lenore Pearstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “Every college and university should recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion as being part of their everyday life on campus. Our students of today are the employees of tomorrow and the future of our country. As students begin to enter the workforce and a global society, they must first be surrounded by and supported by faculty and staff that understand the differences among cultures and their needs.”